Day One: Wicklow Rower Kicks Off Action for Team Ireland in Dakar

Wicklow Coastal Rower, Kate Dunne, has become the first Irish athlete to compete in Beach Sprints in an Olympic competition. The 17-year-old was the first Irish athlete in action at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, which runs from 31 October to 13 November. 

This is the first time that an African nation hosts an Olympic event, and tonight promises to be a vibrant display of the Senegalese culture, with the Opening Ceremony kicking off at 18:30. The Opening Ceremony, as well as tomorrow’s Badminton matches, can be viewed below:

Dakar 2026 Livestream

In today’s competition, Dunne recorded a time of 3:13.98 in her opening run. The top eight athletes from today’s Time Trial progressed directly to the quarter-finals, with Dunne now turning her attention to tomorrow’s second Time Trial, from which a further eight athletes will qualify for the quarter-finals.

Reflecting on her first competitive outing in Dakar, Dunne was delighted to get the Team Ireland campaign underway.

“It’s a great opportunity. I’m glad to be here. It’s great to be the first ever Irish beach sprinter.”

The conditions presented an additional challenge, with the Irish athlete navigating both the water and the Dakar heat during her first run.

“I had a good sprint to the boat. Entry was a little bit messy, caught a few waves, but not too bad. Big crosswind, so had to deal with that out there. Definitely the heat has affected me, I’m not used to this weather, but it was good. The exit was good.”

Beach Sprint racing begins with the athlete sprinting from the beach to the boat before racing around the course on the water and returning to shore, where they finish with another sprint to the line. Dunne described the Time Trial course as longer than the head-to-head format, with athletes negotiating a box-shaped course on the water before racing back to the beach.

With one competitive run now under her belt, Dunne already knows where improvements can be made ahead of tomorrow’s decisive second Time Trial. The final 16 who compete in the quarter-final stage will race in the head-to-head format.

“I definitely need to go at a bit of a higher rate. Bit choppy out there, so I’ll just need to watch my technique. But other than that, just the same as before.”

Attention now turns to tonight’s Opening Ceremony, where Hannah Shochan will have the honour of being Team Ireland’s Allianz Flagbearer.

The Opening Ceremony will formally mark the opening of Dakar 2026 ahead of the second day of sporting action tomorrow.

Team Ireland will have two athletes competing tomorrow, with Dunne returning for the second Beach Sprint Time Trial as she bids to secure one of the eight remaining quarter-final places.

Shochan will begin her badminton campaign, taking on the Bulgarian athlete in her group. Matches are played to 21 points, with the top player from each box progressing to the quarter-finals.

It will mark the start of Shochan’s competitive programme following her role as Allianz Flagbearer at tonight’s Opening Ceremony.

Badminton and Boxing action from Dakar 2026 will feature in the scheduled live feeds which will be available on Olympics.ie, unfortunately, there will be no live broadcast from the Beach Sprints. 

RTÉ are rights holders in Ireland for the Youth Olympic Games, and the Opening Ceremony, Closing Ceremony and Daily Highlights can be viewed on the RTÉ Player throughout the competition. 

Dakar 2026 Livestream

Results – Saturday 31 October

Coastal Rowing Beach Sprints, Women’s Solo Time Trials 1, Kate Dunne 16^th, with a time of  3:13.98

Schedule Day 1 – Saturday 31 October

18:30 Opening Ceremony, Hannah Shochan (Allianz Flagbearer), Kate Dunne, Nancy Chillingworth (Chef de Mission) 

Schedule Day 2 – Sunday 1 November

11:20 Coastal Rowing Beach Sprints, Women’s Solo Time Trials 2, Kate Dunne, 17^th starter

17:30 Badminton, Women’s Singles Group Play Stage – Group G Match #WS315, Hannah Shochan (IRL) V Elena Popivanova (BUL)